běi jīng zhè gè chéng shì hú tóng shì tā huó lì de yī gè fēi cháng zhòng yào de fā shēng qì

北京这个城市，胡同是它活力的一个非常重要的发生器

For Beijing, hutongs are significant generators for the city’s vitality

jì líng luàn yòu tè bié yǒu huó lì

既凌乱又特别有活力

They’re chaotic and energetic at the same time

qīng nián rén qí shí xī yǐn dào hú tóng zhōng lái

青年人其实吸引到胡同中来

In order to attract young people to hutongs

wǒ men shì xū yào zuò chū yī xiē nǔ lì de

我们是需要做出一些努力的

We need to make an effort

wǒ de liǎng gè hé huǒ rén hé

我的两个合伙人federico和nicola

Federico and Nicola are my partners

tā men dōu shì yì dà lì rén

他们都是意大利人

They’re both Italians

tā men zài nián zuǒ yòu lái dào zhōng guó

他们在2011年左右来到中国

They came to China in around 2011

xiǎng yào tǐ yàn yī xià zhè zhǒng zhēn zhèng fēi cháng yìng hé de běi jīng shēng huó

想要体验一下这种真正非常硬核的北京生活

Wishing to experience the authentic and hard-core life in Beijing

dà zhà lán ér zhè gè piàn qū

大栅栏儿这个片区

In the Dashilan neighborhood

wǒ men zài zhè gè chá ér hú tóng shì yī gè fēi cháng ān jìng de jiē dào

我们在这个茶儿胡同是一个非常安静的街道

Cha’er Hutong where we’re located is a quiet spot

zhè yě shì lí tiān ān mén zuì jìn de yī piàn hú tóng piàn qū

这也是离天安门最近的一片胡同片区

And it’s also the closest hutong to Tian’anmen Square

zhè gè yuàn zi qī bā shí nián dài de shí hòu zuò le yī gè xiǎo de gōng chǎng shǐ yòng

这个院子，七八十年代的时候做了一个小的工厂使用

The yard was used as a small factory in the 70s to 80s

jiā jiàn zhè gè mù gòu wū dǐng

加建这个木构屋顶

We add a wooden roof

zhè xiē xié chēng qí shí shì duì zhè gè mù gòu wū dǐng de yī xiē jiā gù

这些斜撑其实是对这个木构屋顶的一些加固

The sloped diagonal stays actually form reinforcement to the wooden roof

zhè miàn qiáng zài wǒ men bǎ tā de wài qiáng pí qù chú zhī hòu

这面墙在我们把它的外墙皮去除之后

As for the wall, after we remove its exterior coating

fēi cháng piāo liàng de fēi cháng bān bó de yī gè qīng zhuān de zhì gǎn

非常漂亮的非常斑驳的一个青砖的质感

It shows an amazing texture of mottled black bricks

zhè gè hú tóng gǎi zào shì wǒ men jiē chù dào de zuì dà de yī gè sì hé yuàn gǎi zào

这个胡同（改造）是我们接触到的最大的一个四合院（改造）

The hutong project involves the biggest siheyuan we’ve worked on

tā yǒu duō píng mǐ

它有800多平米

It covers an area of over 800m2

xī cè shì jiào táng

西侧是教堂

There’s a church to its west

dōng cè shì yī gè xiǎo xué xiào

东侧是一个小学校

And a small school to its east

tā zhī qián de gōng néng shì wèi zhěng gè shè qū tí gōng méi de yī gè méi cāng

它之前的功能是为整个社区提供煤的一个煤仓

It used to function as a coal bunker for the whole community

yī cùn guāng dōu zhào bù jìn lái

一寸光都照不进来

No light could get in

zhī hòu yào gǎi zào de shì yī gè yǒu zōng hé xìng de bàn gōng jiàn zhù

之后要改造的是一个有综合性的办公建筑

Then we renovate a comprehensive office building

qiàn rù le yī xiē bù tóng de dà xiǎo de gāo dī de gōng néng kuài

嵌入了一些不同的大小的高低的功能块

Areas of various functions, in different sizes and with different height are embedded

yī xiē shì zài shǒu céng yī xiē shì diào zhuāng zài èr céng

一些是在首层，一些是吊装在二层

Some are on the first floor and some are hung on the second floor

sān gè guāng jǐng zhí rù jìn lái

三个光井植入进来

Three courtyards are made

dài lái le bì yào de cǎi guāng hé tōng fēng

带来了必要的采光和通风

To draw necessary lighting and ventilation into our working space

yě bǎ wǒ men zhōu biān de zhè zhǒng nóng yīn de zhè gè lǎo huái shù

也把我们周边的这种浓荫的这个老槐树

And also to bring in the shades of the old locust trees

hé páng biān jiào táng nà gè tè bié yǒu biāo zhì xìng de jiān dǐng

和旁边教堂那个特别有标志性的尖顶

And the view of the iconic gable roof of the church next door

yǐ zhé shè fǎn shè de fāng shì néng gòu dài rù dào wǒ men bàn gōng de kōng jiān zhōng lái

以折射反射的方式能够带入到我们办公的空间中来

Through refraction and reflection

zhè gè hēi sè bù dào shì yóu gāng bǎn zuò chéng de yī gè qīng zhì de jié gòu

这个黑色步道是由钢板做成的一个轻质的结构

The black path is a light structure made of steel plates

zuǒ yòu bù duàn dì chuān suō

左右不断地穿梭

It winds to connect the private areas

bǎ èr céng de zhè yī xiē xiāng duì sī mì de kōng jiān chuàn lián qǐ lái

把二层的这一些相对私密的空间串联起来

On the second floor

ér qiě zhè yī gè diào suǒ qiáo yě huì chéng wèi shǒu céng de yī dào fēng jǐng

而且这一个吊索桥也会成为首层的一道风景

And the sling bridge also becomes scenery on the first floor

dào zuì hòu zuì nán biān de dì fāng

到最后最南边的地方

Finally to the southernmost area

nǐ kě yǐ shàng shàng dào zhè yī gè wū miàn

你可以上，上到这一个屋面

You can walk up to the open space

huò dé kāi kuò de shì yě yī gè hū xī de jī huì

获得开阔的视野，一个呼吸的机会

To gain a broader vision and some fresh air

sì hé yuàn qí shí shì běi fāng chéng shì zuì xiǎo de yī gè shēng huó xì bāo

四合院其实是北方城市最小的一个生活细胞

A siheyuan is actually the smallest living cell in northern cities

hú tóng shí jì shàng shì zhè xiē sì hé yuàn suǒ lián hé chéng wèi de yī zhǒng chéng shì jī lǐ

胡同实际上是这些四合院所联合成为的一种城市肌理

And hutongs are veins of cities connecting siheyuans

cóng nián dào xiàn zài

从2013年到现在

Since 2013

zuò le kě néng yǒu bā jiǔ gè sì hé yuàn gǎi zào quán dōu zài běi jīng

做了可能有八九个四合院改造，全都在北京

We’ve renovated about 8 or 9 siheyuans and they are all in Beijing

zài hú tóng zhè gè piàn qū zhōng nǐ kě yǐ zhuī sù dào lì shǐ de tè bié duō de céng cì

在胡同这个片区中你可以追溯到历史的特别多的层次

In hutongs you can trace history to multiple levels

nà jū zhù gōng yè shuāi tuì le zhī hòu

那居住、工业衰退了之后

After residence and industry gradually disappear

wǒ men xīn xīng de fú wù yè qí shí yòu yào zài sì hé yuàn zhōng dān rèn yī gè xīn de cān yǔ de jiǎo sè

我们新兴的服务业其实又要在四合院中担任一个新的参与的角色

Our emerging service industry is going to play a new role in siheyuans